Power Rangers: Generations
by MrQuinn
Summary: A collection of PR mini fics! Each is a stand alone, one shot deal. !UPDATED!
1. The letter

**Disclaimer**: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and all related logos are property of Saban Entertainment and/or Disney Entertainment. I do not own any of the characters, nor do I plan to make any money from this fic. If I do, they're more than welcome to all entitled royalties. In the meantime, please don't sue me.

**A/N**: This is a one shot deal, and there are no plans for a follow up or a sequel. All of these are short stories dealing with some of my favorite rangers and some of the most infamous situations throughout their respective series. Each of them is much too short to be a stand-alone fic, so I bunched all of them into one big story. Take a few minutes to leave a review; they're greatly appreciated.

* * *

_**MMPR: The Letter**_

* * *

Kim stood in front of the mailbox, letter in hand, debating on whether or not to drop it in the slot, or rip it up. It took her days to find the right words, to come up with the right things to say, and even after writing several rough drafts, none of them seemed to be right. _'There isn't going to be an easy way to let him down. Either way, its going to break his heart,' _she thought to herself.

She loved Tommy with every ounce of her being, she had from the moment she met him. He was everything she could have asked for in a man; warm, caring, sensitive, brave and kind. The time they were able to be alone together was very brief, but still very special to her, and because of that, it made her decision a difficult one. Leaving Angel Grove to train for the Pan Globals was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, but it was the chance of a lifetime. Her coach was convinced she had what it took to win a gold medal in the gymnastics division, and though it meant giving her power coin and morpher to Katherine and stepping down as a power ranger, she knew it was the right thing to do. Still, she soon realized that leaving Tommy behind was one of the hardest things she'd ever done.

She had been miserable without him; being away from him was much harder than she thought it would be. After all, she was with any almost every moment of the day. Whether they were in school, or when Zordon contacted them about another monster in the city, they were together. It was rare that they were ever alone, but it didn't matter, she enjoyed every moment was with him. Leaving him broke her heart, and though she hadn't spoken to him since she left, she knew it was hurting him as much as it was her. Sure, there were a few people who approached her, and she even found some of them attractive, but she knew she wasn't ready to get into anything else. Though she and Tommy never made anything official, never really talked about the way they felt, they both knew how the other felt. _'Maybe we couldn't find the words, or maybe it was never the right time,'_ she thought. Still, her love for Tommy was the purest love she'd ever experienced, and it hurt her to think that somewhere out there, Tommy was as heart broken as she was.

That's why she wrote the letter.

The letter went into great detail about the new person in her life, how she always loved Tommy, but like a brother. There was no one else, there never was, but she though it was best that Tommy thought so. She knew that initially, he'd be hurt, even mad at her, but she also knew that his anger would allow him to get over her and move on with his life. Her schedule was a hectic one; training 12 hours a day, constantly on the road, competing in different events in preparation for the Pan Globals, and the last thing she needed was distractions. Thinking about Tommy constantly was a distraction, a big one, but she knew that if Tommy moved on with his life and found someone else; at least he would be happy. The decision to leave the group and follow her dream had left her lonely, and there wasn't a moment that went by that she didn't think about giving it all up and going back to Angel Grove.

'_I'll go back, eventually,'_ she assured herself, but she knew it wasn't fair for her to have Tommy waiting months, possibly even years for her to return. He deserved better. _'Besides, I saw the way he looked at Katherine. Maybe those two will hit it off,'_ she tried to tell herself. She hated the thought of having to lie to him, knowing that the letter she wrote would devastate him, but she knew it would be better for everyone involved. Now, Tommy wouldn't wait for her, clinging to the idea of them being together again. Now, Tommy would find happiness, even if it wasn't with her.

With a tear in her eye and a reluctant sigh, she pulled back the hatch on the mailbox, dropping the letter into the slot. "I love you Tommy," she sighed, slowly walking away.


	2. Not a kid

**Disclaimer**: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and all related logos are property of Saban Entertainment and/or Disney Entertainment. I do not own any of the characters, nor do I plan to make any money from this fic. If I do, they're more than welcome to all entitled royalties. In the meantime, please don't sue me.

**A/N**: This is a one shot deal, and there are no plans for a follow up or a sequel. All of these are short stories dealing with some of my favorite rangers and some of the most infamous situations throughout their respective series. Each of them is much too short to be a stand-alone fic, so I bunched all of them into one big story. Take a few minutes to leave a review; they're greatly appreciated.

This fic takes place some time during _"Message in a bottle"_ from the Wild Force series.

* * *

_**Wild Force: I'm not a kid**_

* * *

Max sat on the edge of the dock; throwing rocks and watching them bounce across the water. The sun was beginning to set, and there was a slight chill in the air, but it didn't seem to bother him. The water was peaceful, soothing, and it gave him time to think.

From the moment he was recruited as a ranger, the others treated him like a kid. They under estimated his ability, second-guessed his decisions, and generally made fun of him. He had just as much power as the rest of them, just as many abilities, but none of the others utilized his potential. When Alyssa read the story of the wish in the bottle, he knew it was far-fetched, but he couldn't help but try. He found himself a bottle, wrote his wish on a sheet of paper and stuffed it inside, and tossed the bottle into the ocean.

Since then, he'd been sitting at the dock, waiting for something… anything. The sun had almost gone down completely, and there hadn't been a sign of anything. He was about to call it quits and head home, but before he could get up, he saw a rock skip across the water. It went much further than any of the rocks he threw, which prompted him to turn around.

There was a person standing behind him, but it was getting dark, so it was difficult to make out who it was.

"Nice throw," he said.

"Thanks, I've had a lot of practice," he picked up another rock, pitching it into the water. Both of them watched as it skipped along the water, eventually disappearing. "I use to come here all the time with my father."

"I'm Max," he said, standing up and extending his hand to him.

"Do you work at the marina or something?" the stranger asked, shaking his hand.

"Why do you ask?"

"Your vest. It says _Surging Shark_, I thought you might work with animals or something," he said.

Max nodded. "Yeah I do, in a way."

"Pretty late to be out here by yourself, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I just came out here to be by myself. I have a lot on my mind."

"Oh, I'm sorry I bothered you."

The stranger turned to walk away, but Max stopped him.

"Wait," he turned around. "You can stay, I'll go."

"You wanna tell me what the problem is? Maybe I can help."

"I doubt it," he paused. "Its just that the people I work with treat me like a kid because I'm the youngest. I just wish they would stop calling me a kid."

"I know the feeling. The people I use to work with use to treat me like a kid too. I was much younger than them, so they always felt like they had to baby me all the time."

"How'd you deal with it?"

"After a while, I earned their respect. It took me a while to realize that I was younger than them, so there were going to be things they were better at that I was. Eventually, we all came to an understanding."

"Where did you work?" Max asked.

"Lets just say we worked with cars," the stranger told him. "Just stick with them, it'll work out."

"You think so?"

"It always does." He paused. "Well, I'm outta here. My dad will be looking for me soon, I should head back."

"Thanks for the advice man," the stranger nodded. "Hey, I didn't catch your name."

The stranger picked up one more rock, throwing it into the water. "My name is Justin," he told him, walking away.


	3. Permission

**Disclaimer**: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and all related logos are property of Saban Entertainment and/or Disney Entertainment. I do not own any of the characters, nor do I plan to make any money from this fic. If I do, they're more than welcome to all entitled royalties. In the meantime, please don't sue me.

**A/N**: This is a one shot deal, and there are no plans for a follow up or a sequel. All of these are short stories dealing with some of my favorite rangers and some of the most infamous situations throughout their respective series. Each of them is much too short to be a stand-alone fic, so I bunched all of them into one big story. Take a few minutes to leave a review; they're greatly appreciated.

* * *

_**Zeo: Permission**_

* * *

Billy opened the door, slowly walking into the house. He'd gone over the speech in his head a million times, trying to find the right thing to say and the right way to say it. Unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury of waiting for the right time; there were lives at stake. Part of him always knew that eventually, he'd have to tell them, but he didn't think it would be under these circumstances.

"Mom, dad, are you here?" he called out, glancing around the house.

He headed into the den, where his father was sitting in his favorite easy chair reading a book. "Hello son," his father said cheerfully. "The school called, we heard th news. You're graduating early," he stood up, walking over to him, wrapping his arms around him. "Congratulations son."

"Thanks. Is mom here? I need to talk to you guys."

"Helen, can you come down here a minute?" his father called out. As he sat back down, he noticed the look of concern on Billy's face. "Are you okay son?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but there's something I have to tell you."

"You're not in any trouble, are you?"

"No, nothing like that. Its just…" he was interrupted as his mother walked into the room, wrapping her arms around him as well.

"I heard the news Billy, congratulations," she said warmly.

"Thanks mom," he motioned for her to sit down, and she quickly sat on the arm of the chair, wrapping her arm around her husband.

"What's this all about son?" he asked.

Billy took a deep breath. "Mom, dad, for the last few years, I've been hiding a secret from you, and now, its imperative that you know the truth about what I've been doing." He paused, attempting to gather his thoughts. "Up until recently, I was a power ranger. I was selected by an intergalactic being named Zordon to defend Earth against a witch named Rita Repulsa and her husband Lord Zedd," he told them, then paused, waiting for a reaction from them.

"We know, son."

Billy's facial expression went from concerned to confused. "What do you mean '_you know_'?"

"It wasn't hard for us to figure out son. You were leaving at all hours of the night, always running off in the middle of dinner, always wearing the same colors. At first, your mother and I thought you were in a gang, but it didn't take us long to put it all together."

"How long have you known?"

"Since the science fair last year. You left in the middle of a presentation, and when I tried to follow after you, I saw you talking to someone in your watch. You were with your friends, Trini and the others, and then just like that, you all disappeared. There was a creature attacking the city, and as soon as it was reported on the news that the power rangers had defeated the creature, you and your friends reappeared. Frankly, I don't understand why no one else has figured out what you've been up to," his mother explained.

"You knew all this time and you didn't say anything?"

"We talked about telling you a few times, but we realized that there must have been a reason you were keeping it a secret. We knew that eventually, you would come to us and tell us when you felt you were ready," his father said.

"The reason I'm telling you now is that I have a very important mission, a mission that requires me to leave for a while."

"A mission? Where? Another city? Another country?"

"No, another planet," Billy said.

"What?"

"There's a planet in another star system called Aquatar, and the rangers on that world need my help. I promised I would help them, but I don't know how long I'll be gone," he said.

"You're going to another planet?"

"Yes, ma'am," he paused. "With your permission of course."

"Theres no one else who can do this? How about another one of the rangers? Won't your team be missing a member if you go?"

"I'm not a ranger anymore. There was an explosion and I…"

"An explosion? Are you okay, we're you hurt?" his mother asked.

"No, but I was exposed to radiation, and it won't allow me to use a power morpher. Lately, I've been helping the rangers, but not actually being a ranger," he told them.

"And you don't know how long you'll be gone?"

"No. I'll be there as long as it takes to help them solve their problems."

"Can we have some time to think about this?"

He shook his head. "The window for intergalactic travel is closing fast. If I'm going to go, it has to be now."

"You certainly didn't give us a lot of time to prepare for something like this."

"I know, its all happening so fast, but I owe these people my life. If it wasn't for them, the Earth would be been taken over by Rita and Zedd a long time ago. We owe them, and if there's something I can do to help them with their problems, I have to try."

"We understand, son," his mother said.

"Do what you have to do son, but be careful."

"I will dad, I promise," he reached in his pocket, pulling out a communicator. "I made this for you; it's a communicator. I've increased the range on it so you can keep it contact with me, but the power source is limited. It may only work three or four times before the power cell is drained and it won't work. I'll contact you when I arrive, then again when I'm on my way home."

"Please take care of yourself Billy."

The two of them stood up, wrapping their arms around him.

"I will."


	4. Best of the best

**Disclaimer**: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and all related logos are property of Saban Entertainment and/or Disney Entertainment. I do not own any of the characters, nor do I plan to make any money from this fic. If I do, they're more than welcome to all entitled royalties. In the meantime, please don't sue me.

**A/N**: This is a one shot deal, and there are no plans for a follow up or a sequel. All of these are short stories dealing with some of my favorite rangers and some of the most infamous situations throughout their respective series. Each of them is much too short to be a stand-alone fic, so I bunched all of them into one big story. Take a few minutes to leave a review; they're greatly appreciated.

Consider this a deleted scene from "_Forever Red_"

* * *

**Wild Force: Best of the best**

* * *

"Excuse me, Cole Evans? Cole Evans, red Wild Force ranger?"

Cole and the others paused, cautiously walking over the stranger as he approached them.

"How do you know who I am?"

"I'm Carter Grayson, Lightspeed Rescue Red Ranger," he held up his right arm, allowing him to see the morpher on his wrist. "I was sent to recruit for you an important mission. The fate of the entire Earth is at stake. We need your help."

"Well what are we waiting for, lets go," Danny said eagerly, taking a step forward.

"No, not the rest of you. Just him," Carter said, motioning towards Cole.

"But we're a team. If the world really is in danger, we stand a better chance if we're all together," Taylor mentioned.

"Normally, I would agree, but you're the only active rangers, Moreover, you're the only line of defense for Turtle Cove. If by some chance we don't succeed and we're destroyed, you'll be all that's left to defend the planet. Its important that the rest of you remain here."

"This threat, its _not _Master Org?" Max asked.

Cole paused. "No, its not. This threat is more than our team can handle alone, which is why I'm here for Cole. We need the best of the best."

"Where are we going?" Cole inquired.

"We're supposed to meet with the rest of our team at the NASADA space port in Angel Grove. Its imperative that we leave now, we're running out of time."

"I don't like the idea of you running off on some mission without the rest of there Cole. It could be dangerous," Alyssa pointed out, grabbing his arm.

Cole gently touched her hand. "I'll be fine guys, I promise. The rest of you head back to the Aminarium and tell Princess Shalya what's happening. I'll contact you as soon as I can."

"You're sure about this?" Taylor asked him.

Cole nodded. "Carter is a red ranger, and I can sense the goodness within him. It isn't a deception. I'll return as soon as I can."

Taylor nodded, tacitly agreeing with his decision. Alyssa lost her grip of Cole as he slowly walked away, following behind Cole on his way towards the humvee. As the two of them climbed in, Cole reached for his seatbelt.

"Can you tell me anything about this mission?"

"No, only that its of the utmost importance that we rendezvous with the rest of our team at the space port. My commanding officer informed me of your location and I was sent to get you. I'm afraid I don't know any more about this mission than you do," Carter told him.

"And the rest of the team, they're all rangers too?"

"Yes. Again, they were looking for the best of the best. The Earth is in grave danger, and we're the best chance the planet has."

"I will do what I must to protect the Earth," Cole said proudly.

"I thought you'd say that."


	5. I have something to tell you

(This was originally posted as a stand alone fic, but moved to the generations section...)_**  
**_

_**Disclaimer: **Power Rangers Ninja Storm and all related logos are property of Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I promise to cut Disney a royalty check when I make my first million._

_**A/N: **This fic takes place a few days after the Ninja Storm finale, and is intended to be a one shot deal. Enjoy._

_

* * *

_**I have something to tell you...**_

* * *

_

Cam sifted through the rubble and debris of Ninja Ops, hoping to salvage some of the equipment. He'd spent the better part of last year developing new systems and working on upgrades, and if he could find anything that was still operational, it would make things easier for him.

He leaned down, brushing through the dirt and dust, finding his old laptop. The screen was cracked, and was connected to the keyboard only by a few stray wires, but he closed it, tucking it neatly into the duffle bag over his shoulder.

His thoughts were interrupted as _she_ made her way into what was left of Ninja Ops. "Sensei told me I could find you down here," she said. Even without looking up to see who it was, he recognized the voice.

_'Tori Hansen,'_ he thought to himself. The thought of her name alone was enough to make him crack a smile.

"I'll be up in a minute, I'm just looking for something," he told her.

"I have a class in about ten minutes, but maybe we could get together later and get something for dinner?" she suggested, looking at him with her hopeful blue eyes.

So involved with his search, he barely heard the flirtatious tone in her voice. "Yeah, that'll be nice. Are Shane and Dustin joining us?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Just us… if that's okay," she said.

"That'll be fine. About eight o'clock?"

"It's a date," she said eagerly, making her way out of Ops.

No sooner than she walked away, he found what he was looking for. It had been hidden under a piece of the ceiling that collapsed during the battle, and covered with dirt and grime. He leaned down, picking up what was left of the disc, rubbing it against his shirtsleeve to wash away the filth. He got a good look at it, hopeful that the scratches and scrapes wouldn't pose a problem when he tried to run the program again. He quickly tucked it into his duffle bag, and then headed for the exit.

Just before he left, he turned around, getting one final look at Ninja Ops. With a half smile, he walked away, refusing to look back.

He sat in front of the computer in his room, inserting the disc into the drive, hoping the files hadn't been too badly damaged. The computer analyzed the disc as the drive hummed, and shortly there after, the results of the analysis appeared on the screen.

"Only 36 percent damaged. I hope the file is still active," he input a series of commanders into the computer. "Great, its still intact," he said, activating the file.

The computer in his room wasn't as sophisticated as the systems he was use to in Ninja Ops, so it took a minute for the files to come on line. Within minutes, a holographic projection appeared, but was badly distorted. Cam turned to his computer again, trying to clean up the image, and in a few moments, the hologram was complete.

"Dude? That was totally wicket," it said.

Cam cracked a smile. "Cyber Cam," he said, nodding with approval.

"Okay, I don't know what just happened, but it was so not cool," he glanced around. "Where are we?" he asked.

"My room. Ninja Ops is gone," Cam told him.

"Weak dude. How'd that happen?"

"There was an attack. Lothor broke in and destroyed everything, but I managed to find your program and repair your subroutines," he said.

"Thanks dude,"

"I'm running a systems check on your memory files to make sure everything is okay, but my computer is slower than the ones in Ninja Ops so its going to take a while. It should be done by the time I get back,"

"Where ya going dude?"

"I'm having dinner… with Tori," he said.

"You mean like a date?"

"Something like that," he answered evasively.

"Dude, you are _totally_ into her,"

"We're friends, that's all," he said.

"Yeah, sure. That's why you go out of your way to spend time with her," he mentioned.

"I do not,"

"So why did you go to that uber-lame cooking class?" he asked.

"Maybe I like to cook,"

"Maybe you like her buns," he walked over to him, sitting down across from him. "Didn't Shane and the others invite you to go camping with them the other day?"

"Yeah, so,"

"But you didn't go because you _knew_ she wasn't going to be there. You thought it was your chance to get a little nookie," he brought up.

"Nookie?"

"You know; pootang pie, a piece of the lovin', get in them drawers, the booty naked dance, the…" he cut him short.

"That's enough," Cam said sharply. "And that isn't true,"

"Oh sure it is, but you're so busy pretending to be just a friend that you're doing to let that Thunder dude move in on her," he said.

"She's not seeing him anymore. Blake left," he told him.

"So this is your chance. When you go to dinner with'er, just tell'er how you feel," he said.

"But that's just it, I don't know _how_ I feel," Cam admitted.

"Oh come on dude, its written all over your face. It's obvious. Besides, you programmed me with your behavior subroutines, remember?"

Cam blushed slightly. "Tori and I don't have anything in common, it would never work," he sighed.

"You're right, you have nothing in common," he paused. "Except for going to the same ninja academy, both of you like to cook, both of you like old ninja movies, both of you…" he was cut short.

"Fine, you made your point, but I don't know if she feels the same way,"

"The only way you'll find out is if you ask her. I'm tellin' ya bro, she's feelin' your vibe. I can tell," he said.

"How?"

"Cuz I'm a chick magnet bro. She has the hots for you dude," he said.

"You think so?"

"Dude, I totally know so. Just tell'er, what's the worse that could happen?" he asked.

* * *

"The worst that could happen is he actually likes you too. If you like him, you should take a chance," Shane told her, sitting down next to her on the bench.

The two of them had taken a few minutes to go to the park together. With their classes, their schedules were conflicting, so whenever they had a few spare minutes, they tried to get together. Dustin, who was sitting on the opposite side, nodded his head in agreement.

"I say you should go for it dude," he added.

"I don't know. He was there for me when I was totally into Blake, and he might just think of me a friend. Or worse, like a sister," she sighed.

"What did he say when you invited him to dinner?"

"He asked if you guys were coming. I'm telling you, he thinks I'm just one of the guys. There's no way he's interested in me," Tori sighed.

"That's harsh dude, I don't think he thinks of you like that," Shane said.

"Would _you_ go out with me?" she asked.

He punched her in the arm. "No dude, you're like my sister," he paused, noticing the monotone look on her face. "I mean, my _hot_ sister," he said, trying to salvage the situation.

"I don't think of you like a sister Tor," Dustin brought up.

She wrapped her arm around him. "Thank you Dustin," she said.

"You're like my aunt Rachael," he added.

She stood up, kicking him in the shin. "You guys aren't helping," she said, folding her arms.

"Sorry Tor," they sighed in unison.

"Maybe you should talk to sensei about it," Shane suggested.

"He'd just give me a metaphor about a grasshopper in the summer that has to prepare for winter or something like that. Besides, I don't know if I could talk to sensei about how I have the hots for his son," she brought up.

"Good point,"

"So what should I do?" she asked.

"Just go to dinner and tell him how you feel," Dustin said.

"I'm telling you, its not that simple. What if I tell her how I feel, and she tells me she only sees me as a friend? Or worse, like a brother," Cam moaned, debating if he wanted to go on his dinner date with Tori at all now.

_

* * *

_

_'So it **is** a date,'_ he admitted to himself.

He'd been trying to hide behind their friendship, unwilling to put himself on the line. Calling it _just dinner_ was safe, there was no risk involved, but if she was ever going to know how he truly felt, he knew he'd have to tell her eventually.

"I always thought the two of you were into each other, but she was vibin' with Blake, so I figured you two were just friends. Take it from me, she's _way_ into you," he said.

"You think so?"

"I know a thing or two about women. You should see the way she looks at you sometimes. Just go for it man,"

"But won't your brother be upset if…"

"If Blake wanted to be with her, he wouldn't have run off the way he did. Instead of telling her how he really felt, he punked out… the same way you're trying to do now," he said.

"I'm not punking out,"

"Yes you are. Stop pretending to be his friend and just tell him," Shane told her.

She shook her head nervously. "I don't know. If he is interested in me, why didn't he say anything to me yet?" she asked.

"Because you were kinda involved with Blake. He probably didn't want to stand in the way," he brought up.

* * *

"Blake and I were never involved. We could have been, but there was always something holding me back," she sighed.

"What was it?"

"I think… part of me always knew that I was in love with Cam," she admitted.

"Wait a minute, you're in love?" Shane exclaimed.

* * *

"Yes, in love," Cam admitted.

"Dude, I thought it was just a crush. Now you _have _to tell her the truth," Hunter insisted.

"You think?"

"Do you really want to wonder for the rest of your life what could have been if you told her how you felt? You'll regret it for as long as you live. Just go, and tell her the truth,"

Suddenly, with a newfound sense of confidence, Cam nodded in agreement. "You're right, I'm going to tell her," he said proudly.

"Good for you man,"

Cam looked down at his watch. "Its almost time. I'll come by tomorrow and let you know how things went," Cam said, making his way out the room.

* * *

Tori had been sitting in the restaurant for a little over twenty minutes now, and the wait was beginning to get to her. _'What if he doesn't feel the same way I do? What if he forgot all about our date and isn't coming? It isn't like Cam to be late for anything,' _she thought to herself, staring down at her watch for the third time.

The waiter had come over to her several times already, asking if she was ready to order, but she always politely declined. She'd considered just leaving a few times, especially when the manager of the restaurant came over to the table, asking if she was sure someone was coming. After three glasses of water and a plate full of complimentary bread sticks, she wasn't even sure if she was hungry anymore, much less willing to wait for him to show up.

She was seconds away from calling it quits when Cam walked over to the table with a sincere smirk on his face. "Sorry I'm late, I got a little pre-occupied at the school," he said.

He didn't matter what he said, she couldn't stop staring at him. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, but for some reason, he was breath taking to her.

"Um…" she finally broke her stare. "Its okay, I just got here," she lied.

Cam glanced down at the breadcrumbs and three empty glasses on the table, but decided not to mention it. "Oh, this is for you," he said, handing her a single white rose.

"Its beautiful," she sighed, smelling it.

Cam sat down across from her, trying to muster up the courage he had only a few short hours ago. Somehow, being there with her made it a little more difficult.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, neither of them sure what to say. Finally, the silence got to both of them, and it was time to get everything out in the open.

"I have something to tell you," they both said in unison.

"You first," Cam said, motioning for her to go first.

"No, you first," she insisted.

He nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Tori, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time now, and I wasn't sure how you were going to feel about it," he said.

"Feel about what?"

He paused. "Well, its like this: I've been feeling this way for a long time, and I wanted you to know that… you're a very good friend to me," he said nervously.

She nodded. "Yeah, you're a good friend too," she agreed.

"Yes, but I…" his sentence trailed off.

"You what?"

It was on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason, he simply couldn't get the words right. He knew what he wanted to say, he'd rehearsed a dozen times on the way to the restaurant, but now, the words seemed to escape him.

"Tori, I…" he paused again, coming to the conclusion that he wasn't going to be able to tell her. So, he came up with another plan. "Oh screw it," he said, leaning across the table and kissing her gently on the lips.

As he backed away from her, he immediately noticed the look of amazement on her face. She leaned back, taking a deep breath.

"Tori, I…" he stood up. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. Maybe I should go," he said, heading towards the exit.

"Cam," she called out.

Cam stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, only to see Tori making her way towards him. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him passionately on the lips. He backed away slowly.

"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Cam asked.

She responded by kissing him again, and everyone in the restaurant gave a heartfelt sigh, pleased to see the two of them together. Hand in hand, the two of them headed out the restaurant.


	6. First Impressions

(This was originally posted as a stand alone fic, but moved to the generations section...)_**  
**_

_**Disclaimer: **Power Rangers Wild Force is property of Disney Entertainment. I am using these characters without permission. If I do by some chance make a profit, I will flee the country and refuse to pay royalties. _

_**A/N**: Consider it a pre-quel to Wild Force, from Cole's perspective…_

_

* * *

_**First impressions

* * *

**

"Cole, here you have lived since before you could walk, and we've always treated you like one of our own. The time has come for you to follow your own life path. These were in the grass near where we found you as a baby. Perhaps they can lead you to your destiny," the Elder said, handing me a picture and a small, red sphere.

My initial reaction _'I don't want to go, why should I?'_

For as long as I could remember, the Tribe had been my family, and the Elder had been a father to me. My friends were here, my family was here, but I was being forced away from the only home I had ever known to chase after my _real_ family?

'_If they were my real family, they wouldn't have abandoned me in the jungle'_, I thought.

A few hours after the ceremony, I took some time to look at the picture. What a happy family they appeared to be. An attractive woman, who I assumed was my birth mother, a handsome man, who had to be my father, and a child who was no older than a year old. What a warm, caring family they appeared to be.

'_If they were so wonderful, why leave me? What was it about me that they had to drop me off in the damn jungle and leave?'_ I wondered, but I knew there was only one way to find out.

The next morning, Roth, my tribal brother, provided me with a boat to travel to the city of Turtle Cove.

"Be warned brother, the people of Turtle Cove may not be as accepting to you as we once were," he told me.

I walked over to him, hugging him tightly, realizing that it may be the last time I would see him.

"I will be fine brother," I assured him, climbing cautiously in the boat, then pushed away from shore.

During the journey, I had the chance to examine the picture again. It was an old picture, and the edges were a bit rough, but there seemed to be another person in the picture, a person who had been torn out of the picture. Judging by how broad the shoulders were, I was led to believe it was a man, but that was all I could tell.

After hours of floating, drifting towards the city, I arrived, and as Roth had predicted, the people in the city weren't very accepting. Everyone I approached to ask if they had seen the people in my picture, they turned away, almost disgusted that I had even spoken to them.

I was beginning to think more and more that this was a bad idea……

I headed to a nearby park to find shelter, but there was none, so I decided to lie on a bench and start bright and early. It was then that a dog walked over to me.

He barked at me.

"Well hello, I'm looking for these people, have you seen them?" I asked, showing him the picture.

He barked again.

"You're right, this is a big city. A very big city," I answered.

Strange, the only person who had befriended me since arriving to the city wasn't even a person at all. He hurried away, and I lay down on my bench.

Just as I was falling asleep, I heard my friend barking in the distance. From the sound of it, he was in trouble.

I leaped up, running around the corner to find him, but he was being taken away in a van. I couldn't allow my only friend to be taken away, so I followed, only to find other animals were captured as well. Their captures didn't seem to be the brightest, and I had no problem freeing them animals.

Once it was all over, I headed back to my bench and went to sleep.

"Cole, is your name Cole?" I heard a voice ask.

I opened my eyes to see a beautiful young lady in front of me, but there were three others, and none of them seemed very friendly.

"You have to come with us," one of them ordered.

"You can help us save lives," the young one said.

Finally, there was another one, wearing all yellow, which approached me, hitting me in the chest. It was enough to knock the wind out of me.

"You've just been drafted jungle boy," she said, and the biggest of their group carried me away.


	7. Tapestry

_**

* * *

**_

_**Time Force Headquarters**_

_**New Silver Hills, California 2999 AD**_

_**

* * *

**_

She sat there patiently, trying to control the knots in her stomach that had been twisting away at her patience. It had been nearly an hour since Commander Collins asked her to join him in the observation lounge. She'd done everything she could to pass the time; count the tiles on the floor (and the ceiling), watching the blinking lights in the digital clock above the door blink a little over 3,600 times, even memorized every caption under the pictures of former Time Force officers that hung in the room.

She'd run out of things to do…

'_If there's something wrong, I wish he'd just come out and tell me,'_ she thought to herself, but couldn't think of anything that she could have done wrong. She graduated top of her class with honors, received commendations of valor and her keen observational skills, even made it to the dean's list three years running. She'd proven herself capable of being a Time Force officer, but apparently, Commander Collins didn't think so.

She recalled times during her training sessions that Commander Collins would peek in and simply watch her, almost as if he was waiting for something to go wrong. It was as if he wanted her to fail. _'But why? I did everything that was required of me and more,'_ she thought to herself.

Finally, she dismissed the thought of her doing something wrong. _'Maybe he wants to talk to me about something more… personal,'_ she thought. She quickly dismissed that thought as well. One of her classmates mentioned to her that maybe, just maybe, Commander Collins had a crush on her, but it seemed so hard to believe. _'Alex… I mean, Commander Collins would never get involved with someone under his command,'_ she thought.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, the door opened and Commander Collins walked into the room. As always, he wore his white Time Force uniform and a pair of deeply tinted sunglasses.

"Cadet," he said.

She quickly rose to her feet, saluting her superior officer. "Reporting as ordered, sir," she said proudly.

"At ease," she put her arms at her side. "My apologies for keeping you waiting, I had a meeting that ran a little long," he told her.

"I understand sir."

"I asked you to come here because I've watched you through out your tenure here at the academy. I've been impressed with your test scores," he said.

"Thank you sir."

He sat down in a chair across from her, motioning for her to sit as well. She took a deep breath, sitting down across from him. "You graduated top of your class, and because of that, Time Force feels as though you may be ready for a command unit of your own," he mentioned.

"Really? Thank you sir," she said, trying to contain her excitement.

"In my personal opinion, you're not," the pleasant smirk on her face was replaced by a look of disappointment. "You've memorized every technical manual we've thrown at you, aced every test, and could probably quote protocols to me in order, but it takes more than facts and figures to lead a unit," he explained.

"I'm sure that if you gave me…" she was cut short.

"I'm not here to give you anything cadet. Luckily for you, the counsel overruled my decision and has decided to send you on your first mission. If you're successful and you complete your mission, you will be assigned your own command unit," he said.

"What must I do?" she inquired.

"How well do you know your history Jennifer?" he asked.

It struck her as odd… it was the first time he hadn't called her cadet since she met him. It was enough to make her crack a smile.

"I'm fairly familiar with the history banks," she said.

"Your mission will be to travel to the 21st century; more specifically, the year 1980. Reports have come in of rogue mutants escaping to the past and are planning an assassination," he told her.

"Assassination? Who?"

"Someone who will be instrumental in the development of Time Force. Her name is Cynthia Anderson. She is with child and is expected to give birth very soon: your mission is to ensure that her child is born by any means necessary," he said.

"I understand."

"I can't stress enough how important it is that you do not interfere with the natural course of the time line. It is imperative that you limit your interaction with the people of that time period. If you don't, history; future history, could be changed forever," he explained.

"When do I leave?" she asked, ready to accept her new assignment.

"0900 tomorrow morning. Get a good night sleep Jennifer, you'll need it," he told her.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Silver Hills, California 1980 AD

* * *

**_

"Cindi? Are you here?" Albert called out as he stepped through the front door, setting his coat down across the couch.

It set his briefcase down next to the end table near the couch and called for her again, but still no response.

He glanced in the kitchen, but she wasn't there, and then headed to the bathroom. Nothing. Finally, he headed to their bedroom, but there still wasn't a trace of her. Concern started to set in and he picked up the pace, calling for her again.

"Cynthia?" he called out.

Nothing.

He rushed into the nursery, where he found her fast asleep on the floor next to the baby's crib. He left out a sigh of relief, pleased that everything was okay. When she originally told him she was pregnant, he spared no expense of preparing a nursery for their child. It had everything a child could possibility need, including a baby monitor and a video camera installed in the ceiling overhead. Cynthia told him he was being overprotective already, but he insisted that he was simply being prepared.

Albert leaned over her, kissing her warmly on the forehead. "Wake up beautiful," he whispered.

She opened her eyes slowly, staring upwards at him. "Traditionally, the handsome prince is suppose to kiss the sleeping maiden on the lips to wake her," she pointed out as she slowly rose to her feet.

He placed his hand on her stomach gently, hoping to feel the baby kick, but no such luck. He leaned in, kissing her warmly on the lips. "Is that better?" he inquired.

"Much. And to think I didn't even have to eat a poison apple," she laughed. "How was work?"

"It was good. I think we're close to signing a deal with the Bio-Tech people. If this merger goes through, our money problems will be solved," he told her.

"But I thought that Collin Laboratories was doing just fine. We don't really need this merger, do we?" she asked.

"Our lab is on a much smaller scale, but we're able to mass produce a much better product that Bio-Tech. They know that, but at the same time, they reach out to almost every country in the world, while we're limited to the smaller cities like Angel Grove, Turtle Cove and Sunnydale. This merger will give us access to the entire world, allowing up to open new labs across the country. Think of it Cindi: one day, our son will inherit a business that saves the lives of countless billions," he explained.

She always admired that about him; his ability to see a vision and work towards it. She recalled when his father passed away and left him Collin Laboratories; how he turned a small lab into over 3 labs across the city, tripling their profits and providing jobs for people in the city. At first, he was against the idea of running a business, but like his father before him, he had a vision of being able to leave something behind for his son. There was only one problem…

"What if it's a daughter?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You said that our son would inherit your business. What if it's a daughter?" she repeated.

"We if have a girl, she can inherit the business too. My sisters all have stock in the lab, but none of them seem to be interested in its development. If our daughter wants to take on an active role in the company, I'd be all for it," he told her.

"That's good to…" she paused, putting her hand on her stomach, then let out a howl of pain.

"What is it Cindi?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Come on, lets get you to the hospital," he insisted, picking her up and rushing out the front door.

_**

* * *

**_

Jen opened her eyes slowly, glancing around the room to get an idea on where she was, but her vision was blurred. She tried to sit up, but the back of her head was throbbing. Doing her best to suppress the pain, she sat up, but was stopped by a doctor.

"Relax ma'am, you have a mild concussion," he told her.

"What… happened?" she inquired, still trying to piece together how she arrived there.

"You were brought here by a fisherman, who said he found you floating in the river just outside of town. There were signs of an explosion, which does explain your concussion," he explained.

She recalled there being some problems with the time ship, and being forced the crash land in the water to avoid being killed with an attempt to crash on land. After that… everything was a blur.

"How long have I been here?" she asked.

"About two days. You didn't have any ID on you when you were brought in, is there any immediate family we should contact and inform of your condition?" he inquired.

"No, no one."

"What's your name ma'am?" he asked.

"Jen…." She paused. "Jenetta. Jenetta Mitchell," she told him.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Jenetta Mitchell. I'm Dr. Wright," he introduced. "We're going to run a few more tests on you, and if all goes well, we'll be able to release you in a few days," he said.

"Days? I don't have that much time, I've got to…" she tried to climb out of bed, but collapsed to the floor.

"What you have to do is rest, the last thing you need to do is aggravate your condition. Where ever you have to go or whatever you have to do, it'll just have to wait," he informed her.

Jen lay back down on her bed and closed her eyes, knowing that every minute she spent in that hospital brought the future closer to it's end.

_**

* * *

**_

Days later 

_**

* * *

**_

'_I can't stress enough how important it is that you do not interfere with the natural course of the time line. It is imperative that you limit your interaction with the people of that time period. If you don't, history; future history, could be changed forever,'_

Those words had haunted her for days now. It was the sole reason she'd lied to the doctors about her name, to conceal the truth from them. It wasn't as if she could have explained her mission to them and they'd release her. To tell them would not only contaminate the time line, but they'd throw her in an asylum. That's why she always thought back to what Alex… Wait, Commander Collins told her. She remembered his words like they were yesterday. _'Yesterday,'_ she chuckled inwardly, considering that yesterday she was 1000 years in the future.

Her head still ached, but she knew that her mission was of the utmost importance. Whoever this Cynthia Anderson woman was, she and her child were vital to the survival of the future. The fate of the entire future had been thrown on her shoulders, and she was beginning to think it was more than she could handle. _'At least if my mission fails, there won't be anyone left to get on my case about it,'_ she thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the doctor walked into the room with a clipboard in his hand. "Good morning," he said cheerfully, smiling warmly.

"Morning," she sighed.

"How are you feeling today?" he inquired.

"Actually, I'm feeling much better today. I think I'll be able to…" she tried to sit up, but the pain in her head forced her to lay back down.

"Don't rush it Jenetta, you'll be able in another few days," he paused. "Do you remember anything about the crash?"

She shook her head. "No," she lied.

Actually, she remembered it all. There was a problem with one of the landing procedures in the time ship, and as a result, she had to crash land. Instead of hitting the ground, she aimed for water, hoping it would soften the blow. On impact, there was a hull breach, and water began to flood into the ship. She ejected from the ship, letting it sink the bottom of the river.

"Partial amnesia is common with a concussion. Don't worry, it'll all come back to you in a few days," he assured her.

"Thank you."

"In the meantime, I thought you might be able to use some company," he mentioned.

"What do you mean?"

Just then, two nurses wheeled in a woman in a wheel chair, helping her up into the bed next to hers. "Jenetta, this is another one of my patients. Her condition isn't as serious as yours, but her husband insisted that she remain in the hospital until she has her baby," he told her.

Jen glanced over at the woman as the two nurses walked out the room. She couldn't help but admire her. There was something about her, a certain glow, a glow that seemed to light up the room. She was a beautiful woman with long, dark brown hair.

"Hello," the woman said cheerfully, trying to disguise the fact that she was in pain.

"Hello," Jen said.

"I'll leave the two of you alone, but don't talk long. You both need your rest," the doctor said, walking out the room.

"I'm Jen," she introduced.

"I'm Cynthia, but only my mother calls me that. My friends call me Cindi," the woman told her.

"Cindi it is," she sighed, but then it hit her like a ton of bricks… "Cynthia Anderson?" she inquired.

"Yes, how did you know my…" she paused. "Oh, you must have seen my husband and I on television the other night talking about the merger," she said.

"Yes, that's what it was," Jen lied. Again, it wasn't as if she could tell her she was from the future sent to protect her unborn child.

"I keep telling Albert that we don't have to make this merger so public, but he likes the press. He says it's good for business," she said.

"Sounds like you don't think so."

She shook her head. "It's not that, it's just that there are rival companies who are against the merger. Albert says it doesn't bother him, but we get disturbing calls to the house sometimes and…" she paused. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to bore you with all my problems," she said.

It started to make sense to her. Albert was so involved with his company that he didn't realize that a rival company would be willing to do anything to stop the merger; even if it meant killing his wife and child.

"No, it's okay. It's not like I have anything else to do in here," Jen pointed out.

"What are you in for?" Cindi asked.

"I have a concussion, there was an accident near the river. That's all I really remember about it," she said.

"I'm sorry."

"Doc says I'll be okay in a few days though," she said.

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, you can always come by my place and have dinner. If Albert doesn't cook, it's usually pretty good," she told her.

They both giggled.

"I'd like that, thank you," Jen sighed.

At that moment, someone stormed into the hospital room with a sword in hand. It happened rather quickly, but Jen was able to get a good look at him. At first glance, it was a green colored mutant with four arms. It had long, linky fingers with sharp nails on the end of each one, and fangs that looked as if they could bite through solid steel. Its eyes had an eerie yellow glow to them, and gray hair that covered over half of its body. The mutant swung, but Cindi was able to roll off the bed just in time, hitting the floor. Despite the pain, Jen leaped out her bed with a spin kick, knocking the would-be assassin to the floor.

"Stay down," Jen told her, picking up a blanket and laying it over Cindi to protect her.

The mutant lunged at Jen, but she managed to move to the side to avoid the sword, and then kicked it in the face, knocking him backwards. Jen knocked the sword out the assassin's hand, did a back flip and caught the sword in mid air, then sliced one of the mutant's arm. It's forearm fell to the ground, but within seconds, another arm grew in its place, and then rushed at Jen again. Running out of ideas, Jen headed over to the window in the room, taunting the creature.

"Come and get me," she screamed.

The mutant rushed towards her again, but Jen side stepped him and sliced him across the waist. The mutant smashed through the window, falling several floors down and landing on the concrete below. Jen couldn't help but peek out the window to see the damage, only to see the mutant laying there in pieces. She dropped the sword, and then hurried over to Cindi, helping her up.

"Are you okay?" she asked her.

But Cindi wasn't moving.

"Doctor! We need help!" Jen yelled, trying to help Cindi back into her bed.

_**

* * *

**_

It had been hours since the doctors took Cindi into the emergency room to treat her injuries, and despite her own injuries, Jen paced back and forth on the opposite side of the door… waiting.

The mutant that attacked Cindi was obviously the rogue mutant Commander Collins sent her to stop, but it didn't add up to her. Granted, Alex told her about the rogue mutants escaping to the past, but it didn't account for the rival companies against the merger. _'Why would a mutant want to kill a woman and her child in the past?'_ she asked herself.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. If the mutants were able to go back in time and prevent the birth of, for example, a political figure, it would stop various laws from being passed. Or maybe the child was going to be a military leader, and preventing being born would put the armies at a disadvantage. At any rate, she could understand the logic of assassinating someone before they became a threat.

But why Cindi?

The two of them only had a brief conversation, but in the time they did talk, she'd come to discover that Cindi was a warm, caring person with a heart of gold. She'd done everything she could to protect Cindi and her child, but she was concerned that it may not be enough.

"Excuse me," she heard a voice say. She glanced up only to see Albert standing in front of her with a somber look on his face. Jen turned, giving him her undivided attention. "The doctors said that you were the one responsible for stopping that…" he paused, trying to find the right words. "… That thing that tried to kill my wife," he said. She simply nodded, allowing him to continue. "I can't thank you enough for what you did. If there is anything I can do for you, please tell me," he said.

Jen shook her head. "It's okay, just take care of Cindi when she gets out of here," Jen told him.

"Believe me, I intend to. The merger between Bio-Tech and Collin Laboratories will have to be put on hold for a while," he said.

"She did say that…" she paused. "Wait, did you say Collin Laboratories?" she inquired.

"Yes, that's the name of my company," he said.

Finally it all tied together for her. Cynthia's child wasn't going to be a political leader or a soldier, but somehow, over countless generations, her child was the descendant of Commander Alexander Collins himself.

Before she could say a word, the doctor walked out the emergency room with a monotone look on his face.

"Mr. Collins," he called out, quickly getting Albert's attention. "We've did everything we could for her Mr. Collins," he sighed.

"Is she okay? Can I see her?"

"I'm afraid that when she fell, she did a lot of internal damage. We were unable to stop the bleeding," he said.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm sorry sir, but your wife is gone. We were able to perform emergency surgery and save your son, but the internal damage to your wife was just too much," he told him.

Albert fell to his knees as tears filled his eyes. "Cindi," he cried.

"Your son will need to remain in the hospital for a few days for testing, but should be able to go home in a few weeks," he said, then walked away.

"I'm sorry for your lose," Jen sighed, trying to comfort him, but knew there was nothing she could do for him.

"Thank you again for everything you've done, but I need to be alone right now," Albert told him.

"I understand," she sighed, walking away.

She headed down the hallway and back into her hospital room, where _he_ greeted her.

"You did well cadet," he told her.

"Alex… I mean, Commander Collins," she said, standing at attention.

"History, future history has been saved, and it's all thanks to you," he said.

"The Anderson baby, he's related to you, isn't he?" she asked him.

Alex let out a sigh. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you. Albert and Cynthia eventually had a son named Wesley Collins, who will be instrumental in the development of the Silver Guardians, the foundation of Time Force itself. There are a lot of things I can't tell you, but trust me when I say that all of this is for the best," he explained.

"If I'm not suppose to know, why are you telling me now?"

"Because after you go through the memory adaptation procedure, you won't remember a thing," he told her.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Time Force Headquarters**_

_**New Silver Hills, California 2999 AD

* * *

**_

Jen opened her eyes slowly, only to discover that the entire room was spinning. Well, at least she thought it was.

It took a few minutes, but her vision returned. She found herself in one of the medical bays in Time Force Headquarters, but couldn't seem to recall the events leading her there. She tried to sit up, but the back of her head began to throb; so much so that she was forced to lay back down.

'_How did I get here?'_ she asked herself.

Before she had a chance to debate the issue, Commander Collins walked into the room. As usual, he had on his deeply tinted sunglasses, disguising his baby blue eyes (not that Jen had ever noticed).

"Cadet," he said firmly.

"I'd stand at attention sir, but…" she was cut short.

"I understand cadet, at ease," he sighed.

"What happened?"

"Seemed during training you suffered a concussion of some sort. Don't worry, the doctor says you'll be on your feet again in a few days," he told her.

"As soon as I'm able sir, I'll complete the assignment you were going to give me," Jen pointed out.

He shook his head. "That won't be necessary. It seems my superiors are more impressed with your service record than I thought. As soon as you're physically able, you will be given your own unit to command. Provided you perform well, the command will become a permanent one," he explained.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir," she said.

The Commander simply nodded, then walked out the room. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, Captain Logan greeted him. The Captain peeked in, and then took a few steps away from the door.

"How is she doing?" he inquired.

"The memory adaptation was a success; she doesn't seem to remember anything from the mission," the Commander told him.

"Excellent. When her concussion clears up, I have another mission for her," he said.

"So soon?"

"I'm afraid it's unavoidable. Seems the mutants are smarter than we give them credit for. Their initial attack on the Anderson woman didn't discourage them from trying again. Reports have come in that another mutant has traveled to the past, this time to the year 1990," he said.

"Who is the target?"

"Young Wesley Collins is the target this time, and at 10 years old, he won't be able to defend himself," Captain Logan said.

"Will we be sending Jennifer alone, or will her entire team be going?" he asked.

"One member of her unit is from Xybria. In fact, he's the first Xybrian that completed the academy exams. The other two will join her on the mission, but its another black bag operation, no one can be told of the nature of their mission," he said.

"I understand sir," Alex said as he peeked in the door one more time, then walked away with the Captain.

**

* * *

Coming soon: Tapestry II**


	8. Crush

_**Disclaimer: **Power Rangers Wild Force is property of Disney Entertainment. I am using these characters without permission. If I do by some chance make a profit, I will flee the country and refuse to pay royalties. _

_**A/N**: Alyssa's feelings for Cole, in her own words…_

**

* * *

**

**More than a Crush**

**

* * *

**

I knew it from the first moment I saw him, he was the one.

"Cole, is your name Cole?" I asked him.

He flinched; almost falling off the bench when he realized four strangers surrounded him. It reminded me of the first time Taylor came to me, telling me about my destiny to be a power ranger. The sight of 4 of us must have been overwhelming to him.

"You can come with us, you can help us save lives," I told him, but it didn't seem to impressed.

A few days had passed since then, and Cole seemed to be adjusting well to his new role as leader of our group, and getting to know the others as well. At first, Max and I seemed to be the only ones willing to open up to Cole, but now, even Max had other things on his mind.

I knew that Cole would need a friend, especially with the way Taylor had been treating him, but honestly, I had ulterior motions for befriending him. I wasn't sure why, but I felt something for him, something more than a mutual respect like I had for the others.

'_Jesus Christ Alyssa, he's not even your type,'_ I thought to myself. Just looking at him, draped in rags and that dingy string around his head, I wondered what I saw in him. After we cleaned him up a little, even though he insisted on having that ridiculous red band on his head, he was gorgeous.

His muscles, his smile, the sound of his voice…

But it wasn't just his appearance, it was his innocence, yet ability to lead our group that made him appealing. Even as time went on, Taylor had to admit that there was a method to his madness.

'_He doesn't even know I'm alive though,'_ I thought to myself.

Sure, he knew I was the white ranger, the **_Noble Tiger_**, he knew that I was a member of his team, but that's all he knew. I tried to give him signs, tried to get his attention without looking like I was throwing himself at him. You'd think by being raised in the jungle, he'd have a sixth sense, some kinda intuition about those types of things.

'_I guess the tribe he was from didn't teach him much about woman,'_ I thought.

So I find myself watching him from a distance, giving the others the illusion that I'm studying, but really, I'm staring at him, watching him as he sat on the ledge in the Animairum. I find myself wondering what he thinks about, what goes through his mind. Wondering if he notices me at all.

'_Hell, Max seems to notice it, why doesn't Cole?'_ I wondered.

Don't get me wrong, Max is a nice guy, but he isn't really my type. He's a little too… goofy, for my liking.

So, until I find the right words to tell him, and the right way to say it, Cole will never know my little secret.


End file.
